All articles by Jessica Bird – Page 4
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ArticleHorse trainer fined €4,000 for failure to pay bonuses to staff
Declan Queally, a horse trainer in Ireland, was fined €4,000 (£3449.24) following an inspection of his stable yard and business, which found he had failed to pay necessary bonuses to staff under the Stable Employee Bonus Scheme.The scheme, which came into force in May 2000, is financed by a 3% ...
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ArticleSearch Intelligence pledges to pay employees' winter utility bills
Digital PR agency Search Intelligence has committed to pay its 50 employees a monthly bonus during the winter months, with the aim of easing the pressure of rising utility bills.Starting in December, for three months Search Intelligence will pay staff an extra £250, amounting to an investment of £12,500 more ...
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ArticleNorthern Ireland government confirms £1,400 NHS pay award
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has implemented pay awards for NHS staff for 2022-23, amounting to at least £1,400 per annum for those on banded salaries covered by the Agenda for Change.Salaried doctors and dentists, meanwhile, were awarded a 4.5% increase. Both pay awards were backdated to 1 ...
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AnalysisBuyer’s guide to employee assistance programmes
What are employee assistance programmes?An employee assistance programme (EAP) is, at its core, a helpline, paid for by employers and provided free to staff, which provides confidential advice and assistance around a wide range of subjects that might affect them both at work and in their personal lives.This typically includes ...
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ArticleItsu launches benefits centred on major life transitions
Restaurant and grocery chain Itsu has launched a benefits package that aims to support its 1,500 members of staff through major life transitions, including becoming a parent, moving home, and undergoing gender reassignment.Among the benefits it introduced in November was paid leave for various life events. For employees experiencing the ...
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ArticleThe top 10 most-read articles between 25 November - 1 December 2022
The top 10 most-read articles on www.employeebenefits.co.uk between 25 November and 1 December 2022 were: Ikea gives staff 6% pay rise and enhances benefitsHarrods security guards strike in pay dispute75% of HR professionals see mental wellbeing as key focus for 202347% of businesses plan bonuses for Christmas 2022Scotrail implements minimum ...
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ArticleGeneral Electric agrees to £15,600 payment for steam plant employees
Energy business General Electric has agreed to give 75 employees at the GE Steam plant in Rugby a series of one-off payments amounting to £15,600 each.The agreement ended a long-running pay dispute between GE Steam and members of the trade union Unite, which led to intermittent strike action from April ...
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ArticleNHS employers recognised for excellence in diversity and inclusion
A number of NHS employers, including ambulance services in the North East and North West, hospitals in Northampton, Blackpool and Kettering, and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), were recognised on the Talent Inclusivity and Diversity Evaluation (Tide) benchmarking list for this year.The Tide Awards, which are run by the ...
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ArticleNatWest gives 59,000 employees cost-of living payment
Credit: William Barton / Shutterstock.comBanking organisation NatWest has implemented a one-off cash payment for all employees in junior and junior manager positions, benefitting approximately 59,000 global members of staff during the cost-of-living crisis.For the 39,000 UK-based employees, the payment was agreed at £1,000, with equivalent amounts in all other locations. ...
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Article75% of HR professionals see mental wellbeing as key focus for 2023
The majority (75%) of HR professionals stated that mental health and wellbeing would be the most important area in which to provide support to staff in 2023, according to research by WorkNest.The research, conducted at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference in November, surveyed 105 respondents ...
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Article47% of businesses plan bonuses for Christmas 2022
Almost half (47%) of businesses said they planned to provide staff with year-end bonuses for Christmas 2022, according to research by Just Eat for Business.The Corporate Christmas Rewards Study surveyed 200 decision-makers at UK organisations, and found that 81% planned to host a party to mark the festive season and ...
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ArticleGovernment increases national living wage by 9.7% for 2023
Image credit: photocosmos1 / Shutterstock.comAutumn budget 2022: The government has agreed to raise the national living wage by 9.7% from April 2023.In his autumn budget address to the House of Commons, Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt (pictured) stated that he had accepted recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission ...
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ArticleGovernment reduces 45% income tax threshold
Image credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.comAutumn budget 2022: The government has reduced the threshold at which the 45% rate of income tax becomes payable, from £150,000 to £125,140.Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt made the announcement in his autumn budget statement, noting that those earning £150,000 or more would pay ...
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ArticlePWC launches discount scheme and virtual financial wellbeing support
Professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has introduced a new shopping discounts portal for its 22,000 UK employees, as well as hosting virtual events to help support financial wellbeing.The portal, provided by Reward Gateway, replaces an older system and aims to give staff easier access to a wider range of discounts ...
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ArticleWilmott Dixon and Admiral named best big employers for Q4 2022
Construction business Wilmott Dixon and insurance firm Admiral Group have topped the list of Best big companies to work for in Q4 2022.The Best Companies accreditation and rankings are based on a proprietary anonymous employee survey, which tracks engagement and generates a score for each employer of between 0 and ...
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ArticleThe top 10 most-read articles between 4 - 10 November 2022
The top 10 most-read articles on www.employeebenefits.co.uk between 4 and 10 November 2022 were: Lloyds Bank offers employees minimum £2,000 pay riseBoohoo gives shares to more than 1,100 employeesLaura Trott appointed minister for pensionsPrinces Group gives staff one-off payment and 7% raiseEXCLUSIVE: AutoRek launches financial wellbeing tool for staffWincanton gives ...
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ArticleNasa, Rolls-Royce and Google named among top US employers for veterans
Image credit: Ingus Kruklitis / Shutterstock.comThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), car and aeronautical manufacturer Rolls-Royce Holdings, and technology firm Google have been named among the top 10 best employers for veterans in America in 2022.The list of 200 organisations, compiled by Forbes and Statista for the third consecutive ...
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ArticleNewcastle City Council increases pay for lowest earners
Newcastle City Council has increased wages by £1 per hour for 800 of its lowest-paid employees, as part of its commitment to fair pay and maintaining a decent standard of living.The eligible employees include school cooks, domestic staff, cleaners and nursery assistants, among others, and the overall pay increase will ...
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ArticleLaura Trott appointed minister for pensions
Image credit: Gov.ukPrime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Laura Trott MBE as minister for pensions, after predecessor Alex Burghart officially held the role for less than one month.Trott was appointed on 27 October, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) made the announcement on 7 November via its official ...
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AnalysisBuyer’s guide to retail and discount voucher schemes
What are retail and discount voucher schemes?Employee discount voucher schemes come in various forms, all of which aim to provide staff with savings on a range of purchases, from everyday shops to big-ticket items and the latest technology. There are three main types of scheme, which might fall under different ...